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Labor Day is behind us, summer vacations are ending, and we are entering what I call the home stretch of the business year.

September through December can disappear quickly. Before we know it, we will be celebrating the holidays, closing the books on 2026, and welcoming 2027.

The question for business leaders isn’t simply: How are we going to finish 2026?

It should also be: What do we need to do NOW so we can hit the ground running on January 1, 2027?

For manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and industrial organizations, the next four months shouldn’t be treated as a countdown to year-end. They should be used as a launching pad for next year.

Here are several areas I believe deserve attention.

1. Take an honest look at your management team

Do you have the leadership you need for where the company is going — not just where it has been? Look at your plant leadership, operations, engineering, supply chain, procurement, quality, HR, finance, and other critical functions.

• Where are the gaps?
• Which positions are vulnerable?
• Where are you relying too heavily on one key individual?
• And perhaps most importantly: Who will you need in 2027 that you don’t have today?

2. Don’t wait until January to start recruiting

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is waiting until a position becomes critical before beginning the search. Good people don’t suddenly appear because a requisition has been approved.

If you know you will need additional management talent in the first quarter of 2027, September and October are the time to begin identifying that talent. The recruiting process takes time. Interviews take time. Resignations, counteroffers, notice periods, relocations, and onboarding all take time.

A January start often requires a recruiting process that begins months earlier.

3. Talk to your best people

Retention deserves just as much attention as recruiting. When was the last time someone sat down with your strongest employees and asked:

• Where do you want your career to go?
• What would make you stay here for the next three to five years?
• What responsibilities are you ready to take on?

Don’t assume your best employees are satisfied simply because they haven’t complained.

Your competitors may already be talking to them.

4. Identify your succession gaps

Baby Boomer retirements haven’t disappeared. Many companies still have tremendous amounts of institutional knowledge concentrated among experienced managers, engineers, skilled technical employees, and operations professionals.

Ask yourself:

If one of our key people retired tomorrow, who would take over?

If the answer is “we’re not sure,” that belongs on the 2027 priority list.

5. Review your hiring process

The market continues to change, but one thing hasn’t: Good candidates don’t like unnecessarily complicated hiring processes. Take a hard look at yours.

• How many interviews are really necessary?
• How quickly are candidates receiving feedback?
• Are hiring managers available when needed?
• Are compensation expectations realistic?
• Are you losing candidates because decisions take too long?

You can have the best recruiting strategy in the world and still lose good people with a poor hiring process.

6. Build your 2027 talent pipeline now

Not every recruiting conversation needs to be tied to an immediate opening. Some of the best recruiting relationships begin months — sometimes years — before a hire is made.

Identify the people you may want to know before you need them. Plant Managers. Operations leaders. Engineers. Supply Chain executives. Procurement professionals. Controllers. HR leaders. Skilled technical professionals.

Build relationships before there is an emergency.

7. Decide what 2027 needs to look like

Finally, management needs to ask a simple question: If December 31, 2027 arrives and we call the year a success, what will we have accomplished? Then work backward.

• What people will you need?
• What skills will you need?
• What leadership changes may be necessary?
• What investments need to be made?
• And what needs to happen during the remainder of 2026 to make that possible?

The calendar may say September — but 2027 has already started

After more than four decades in executive recruiting, I’ve learned that successful organizations rarely wait for January to start planning for the new year. They use the fourth quarter to evaluate, prepare, recruit, and position themselves. There are roughly four months remaining in 2026. Use them wisely.

January 1 should not be the day you begin figuring out what you’re going to do in 2027. It should be the day you start executing the plan you already put in place. Welcome to the home stretch.

Let’s finish 2026 strong — and be ready to hit the ground running in 2027.

Ron Sunshine
President, Ron Sunshine Associates LLC
Executive Search – Industrial & Manufacturing Leadership
214-505-2713 | ron@ronsunshineassociates.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronsunshine